Warning: This chapter is not for the faint hearted. Contains some blood consumption. If your offended, skip it.

This chapter is also a bit long as I could not seem to stop typing! LOL So grab your favorite beverage and enjoy!

Chapter 10: The Other Ones

Sherman Blackstone was enjoying a quiet evening at home when a loud knocking sounded on his cabin door.

"Come in," he casually replied. He already knew who it was as he had heard the Alpha's car coming up the road.

Vivian Cates entered, anger twisting her face. "How dare you send Lucas off to meet with Silver Lake wolves! Who knows what will happen to him! He's only seventeen!" Her eyes sparkled gold in anger.

Sherman was not affected. He maintained perfect calm. "He is ready for this."

"And you have just decided this! Without consulting me?" she growled out.

"Vivian," he began, trying to restore calm, "you have felt and seen how powerful Lucas has been getting lately. You can't expect him to develop leadership skills if you shelter and coddle him."

"Coddle him? How dare you say such things to me!" she hissed.

"It's only natural. You are his mother and all mothers want to protect their young. But it's time for him to take a more active role in pack politics. I've seen what he's capable of, Vivian. You should be very proud of him."

Vivian's anger lessened at this compliment. She was very proud of Lucas, but she worried none-the-less.

Sherman continued, "He also took a strong group of males with him. This is necessary Vivian. He is the future of this pack and the Silver Lake wolves need to see his strength."

Vivian glared at him and sighed, shaking her finger at Sherman. "You better be right about this." She turned and stalked angrily out, slamming the door behind her.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lucas and seven other dominant males raced through the north woods in their wolf forms, sniffing and sensing for any intruders into their territory. These teens were all in top shape and strength, they were Lucas's teammates for baseball this season as well. When Lucas told them to come along, they all jumped at the chance to prove themselves to their leader and the pack. This was the first time they were asked to do something important for their pack and they wanted to make a strong showing. They wanted the chance to show the adults that they were ready.

After about forty minutes of sniffing around, they met back at the north clearing. No one had found any Silver Lake wolf signs and they were considering what to do next.

Let's hang out here for a while and see what happens.

Lucas gave the order and they all sat or lay on the ground and waited.

Each of them faced in different directions and scanned the forest with their senses. They were careful not to make noise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sophia and Sarah sat on top of a picnic table at the lakeside rave site. A fire had been lit in the fire pit and the teens warmed themselves on this cool spring night. Skinwalkers were rarely bothered by cold, but they just loved the feel of heat on their skin. They often would stand close to any heat source they could find and enjoy the sensation.

Tonight the mood was somber as they waited to find out what was happening with the Silver Lake wolf situation. The dominant males were all absent and the only males left were the ones in which Lucas had not chosen to come with him. Most of the females were there as they were worried about the males and wanted to be the first to hear when they returned.

For this reason Sophia decided to come tonight. Sarah had called her about half an hour ago and asked her to come. Sophia had just finished her homework and she really wanted to make sure Lucas was o.k. She told her father about what she heard and told him that she wanted to be there tonight.

Matt knew about the situation already. Vivian had come into the station after her visit to Sherman's cabin. She needed to let off steam and he had listened patiently. He wondered why Sherman did not ask him to go, but he supposed the keeper had his reasons. He let Sophia go on the condition that she stay at the rave site and not try to go into the north woods.

Everyone at the rave site sat in small groups, talking amongst themselves. Sarah kept giving Sophia beer and she was beginning to feel a bit woozy. Two males, Mike and Ron, walked up to where they were sitting.

"Hi Sophia, hi Sarah," started Mike. "Are you two getting tired of sitting around? Do you want to go for a run or something?" Mike said the "something" word in a suggestive way.

Sophia had no desire to go off with these boys. Sarah, however, smiled at them and said, "Well, maybe..." Mike stepped closer to her and started flirting in earnest.

Across the fire, Presley sat with her friends, Krissy and Dawn. They were complaining to each other that the evening was very dull without the dominant males. Presley was hoping that she would be able to spend the night with Lucas tonight as it had been at least a week since they had last been together. She had been angry with him for spending so much time with Sophia, but now she just wanted to prove to him how much she missed him.

"Would you look at that!" Krissy complained when she saw Mike and Ron trying to pick up on Sarah and Sophia. "Why would they choose them over us?"

Presley looked over across the fire. "Who wants those males anyway?" But she started feeling angry that Sophia always seemed to attract more attention then she did, first at school and now here.

An idea started forming in her mind. "You know, on second thought, I think Sophia and Sarah need a little lesson on who gets first pick of the males around here tonight."

Krissy and Dawn smiled at her and all three of them sauntered around the fire and came up behind Mike and Ron. Presley inserted herself in the middle of the boys and Krissy and Dawn flanked them on both sides, facing towards the male's sides. They leaned toward them, making sure their breasts brushed against the arms of the males.

The males instantly became aroused, surprise on their faces to see the dominant females flirting with them.

Sarah and Sophia just stared at the spectacle. Sophia almost wanted to laugh at this obvious tactic to steal the males away. But then Presley opened her mouth.

"You boys don't want to waste your time with those two when you could have us." Presley smirked at Sophia as she said this.

Dawn and Krissy started to guide the bewildered boys away towards the tree line. These girls never before approached these two particular males. These females were always with Lucas and his friends. Mike and Ron decided they had better take advantage of this rare offer. Presley stayed where she was and smiled at Sophia. "Losers always lose, and winners always win," Presley stated. "Make no mistake about it Sophia, Lucas will come back to me when he's tired of you, he always does."

Sophia was sitting on the tabletop so when she brought her foot up to Presley, it was at chest level. She shoved Presley away with her foot. "Fuck off," Sophia growled. Sophia was feeling bold after a few beers. Sarah put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with surprise.

Presley staggered back but did not fall. She glared angrily at Sophia. "You think you're so protected. There are other ways to hurt you besides physically Sophia! Don't push your luck bitch!" Presley turned and went off into the tree line where her friends had already taken the males. She did not plan to stay however. She decided she would wait for Lucas, outside his bedroom window. Presley left her clothing with her friends and raced off into the forest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam was the first to hear approaching wolves from the east.

Lucas! Over there, eastwards!

All the males sprung to their feet and raced off towards the east, Lucas in the lead. They all were becoming aware of the intruders as they felt their fur start to rise on their backs. When they drew near they slowed their pace. They sensed that the Silver Lake wolves were now aware of them and they too stood in alert. Lucas's pack crept slowly towards a small clearing in the forest. Across the clearing, the other pack became visible, standing in attention. The air was thick with tension as they sized each other up. There were five Silver Lake males and no females.

Lucas made his way slowly into the clearing and then flipped to human form. He knew that this would indicate that he wanted to talk before any violence would occur. A large black Silver Lake wolf then approached and flipped as well. He was tall and strong with long black hair and vivid blue eyes.

Lucas recognized him immediately. His name was Nathan and he was Ruby's cousin from her mother's side. Lucas had met him once when his father had a meeting with Nathan's father regarding which pack Ruby should be with. Nathan's father was the Silver Lake Alpha and when he heard Ruby was a white wolf, he wanted her to come to them. Willard had won the argument which had ended in a bloody fight.

"Nathan, you do know that these woods are Wolf Lake territory?" Lucas started.

"We know, Lucas," Nathan smiled. "But the selfishness of your pack has forced us to desperate measures."

Lucas seemed to grow in stature as he stood straighter. "Explain quickly." Lucas's friends all growled behind him in a show of strength.

"We seek females," Nathan replied insolently.

Now the Wolf Lake wolves growled and snarled viciously, fangs snapping.

Lucas's eyes flashed with rage, "Touch one of our females and you die!"

"Since you won't let Ruby live amongst us, or even borrow her when we need her, many of our young have not survived their first flip. For some reason, fewer females are surviving than males."

Lucas knew that Ruby, as a white wolf, was extremely valuable to the pack. Though her power would grow stronger as she aged, even now she possessed enough to help teens through their first transformations. It was why Willard helped Tyler bring her back home when she ran off. Willard had loved his daughter, but as Alpha he had to do what was best for the pack. He couldn't allow her to leave and marry a human. The graveyard was full of teens that had not made it and Willard knew that Ruby could be the one to end the sorrow of that tragedy. Now it fell on Lucas's shoulders to protect the welfare of his pack.

"That is not our problem," growled Lucas.

Now Nathan grew angry, his blue eyes turned to gold. "I think it is."

Lucas and Nathan sprung at each other, transforming back to wolf form in mid air. At the same time, the two packs attacked, racing past the two leaders fighting in the middle. Both sides ripped into each other with fangs and claws, tearing at backs, necks, and legs.

Silver Lake wolves were outnumbered and soon realized that they could not win this time. They retreated when they received a mental order from Nathan to head back to Silver Lake.

The Wolf Lake wolves chased them through the forest, jubilant at this victory. When they reached the borders of their territory Lucas ordered them to stop. They had done well, he thought. It was a good show of strength. He looked around at his pack.

Anyone hurt bad?

The smell of blood was everywhere and they were panting hard. Lucas flipped and they all followed suit. They looked at each other's injuries. Every one of them had some kind of puncture or tear, some more than others, but nothing looked life threatening. When they realized this, smiles broke out and sighs of relief that their first pack battle went so well.

"That was fucking awesome," Randy shouted. They all had felt that adrenaline rush during the fight and now the smell of blood had brought out one of their most primal feelings. Randy licked a long slash on his forearm and smiled a bloody grin.

Steven and Adam whooped and hollered. Sean came up behind Lucas, looking at his back. "You've got a long one," he said.

Lucas looked over at Sean. "Yeah, well, your neck doesn't look so hot either," he replied watching blood trickle from Sean's wound.

They both smiled at each other, proud of themselves on this night.

"Let's get back to the females. I can't reach some of these bites." Randy said as he tried to look over his shoulder at his own back.

They all knew that saliva was the best antibiotic for wounds and having the females tend to them was the most pleasurable way to go.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Steven. They were all feeling very pumped up now after tonight's events. Flipping back to wolf form, they ran as fast as their tired and somewhat injured legs would carry them.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sophia and Sarah had each finished their third beers, still waiting for news. They had exhausted the topic of how bad a bitch Presley was and were now growing quiet, listening for sounds from the north. The fire blazed hot still and the teens were all gathered around it in close proximity. Some females were cuddled up with males, but it seemed that everyone was starting to get a bit worried.

Then came the snapping of twigs and the sounds of breathing and moving that only skinwalkers could hear from a distance. They all turned their heads towards the tree line and all conversation stopped as they waited. The unmistakable smell of fresh blood came wafting through the night air and the teens felt primal blood lust starting to affect their bodies.

Sophia looked around at the others and noticed flashing eyes, lengthening teeth, and soft growls coming from everyone. She felt her own body start to shake and realized that she appeared like everyone else. The smell of blood was intoxicating her in a way that the beer never could. "What is happening?" she managed to ask Sarah.

Sarah was gently rocking back and forth, licking her lips as she watched the tree line. "They are returning," she simply said without looking at Sophia.

Sophia could now see through the flames of the fire, the dominant males stepping out of the tree line. They were naked and dripping blood from their wounds, but they all had grins on their faces. They stopped and scanned the rave sight, taking in all who sat there by the fire.

"They will choose!" Sarah whispered to Sophia, an excited look on her face.

Sophia's face swung to the bloody males and in their midst she spotted the biggest one, Lucas, staring at her with an intensity she had never seen before. This was primal Lucas, she realized, and she also began to realize her own primal feelings. Her body throbbed with a need to taste him.

Lucas was the first to move forward and Sean followed closely behind him. All others fell into place according to rank. This was the order in which they would get to choose. The highest ranking always chose first.

Lucas walked straight over to Sophia without looking away from her eyes and held out his hand. Sophia looked straight back into his eyes, trying not to look down at his nude body. Sean had took a place next to Lucas and held out his hand to Sarah. Sophia could feel Sarah's excitement at being chosen and watched as she took Sean's hand and started off towards the forest.

Sophia looked back at Lucas and saw something in his eyes just for a moment. It was vulnerability. Many eyes were watching them and Sophia knew how important it was to him that she accept. She also sensed that it wasn't just because the pack was watching, but it was personal as well.

The moment she placed her hand in his, she felt ripples of energy extending into her body and a light shown in Lucas's eyes. When he turned to pull her towards the trees, she saw the long gash on his back and gasped.

You're hurt!

Nothing that you and flipping can't mend.

Lucas projected back. He led her to a place in the forest and then he simply sat on the ground.

I need you Sophia, he whispered in her mind.

"What do you need?" she breathed heavily as she stood looking at him.

"Taste me Sophia, help me," he said in a low voice.

Sophia looked at another couple who had settled not far from them and noticed that the female was licking the wounded neck of the male. She felt her own fangs lengthen at the sight and her mouth watered.

She swung her flashing gaze to Lucas's back, now feeling a haze of lust. But it was not lust for sex, it was lust for blood. She fell to her knees behind Lucas and started licking his wound. She lapped at it with long strokes, taking small breaks to swallow and savor it. In her current hazy state it did not occur to her how unlike herself this was.

This felt completely natural, as if she always did this.

Lucas sucked in his breath and enjoyed the intense pleasure of Sophia tending to his wound. Her long brown hair caressed his back and her intoxicating scent almost made him swoon.

When her saliva had stopped the bleeding, she moved to the front of him and began to examine his arms and chest. She found only one more bleeding wound on his bicep. She sat down to the side of him, but facing in the opposite direction. He lifted his arm up to her mouth and felt her tongue swirl and caress his puncture. He closed his eyes at the soothing sensation.

Then he heard her give a moan of disappointment when the blood stopped flowing. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Go ahead and bite it again baby. Open it up."

She looked at him in surprise. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I want you to do it Sophia. I want to give you what you want. I know it tastes good. I want you to have me."

She was so in the moment and could not think reasonably if she wanted to. She turned and bit open his wound again, watching his face for a reaction. He showed no hint to her that it hurt, but instead shared with her in his mind his intense pleasure.

Sophia's mouth and scent were making him very aroused. He soon pulled her onto his lap, forcing her to stop licking his arm and she turned her gaze into his eyes. They were both breathing heavily, the smell of his blood on her breath. Sophia could feel his arousal on the other side of her jeans and her body was beginning to feel another kind of lust.

Lucas's eyes flashed when he smelled her musk and he brought his lips hard down upon hers. Sophia frantically kissed him back, giving as well as she got. They were lost in total sensation and it felt as though nothing else existed around them. They felt suspended in time and place, and they were the only ones on this cloud of pleasure.

Her hands moved through his hair and then down his chest as she continued her deep kissing. She snaked her arms around his torso to hold him tight and completely forget about his wounded back. She felt him flinch and realized that she had dug a fingernail into his back wound.

Sophia quickly pulled away her arms and broke the kiss.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" she said as she hopped off his lap and went back around him to check out the damage.

"Don't worry about it," he said, disappointed that the mood was broken. He felt her lick his back a few strokes to close it back up.

"Shouldn't you flip to heal this faster?" she then asked.

He let out a sigh. "Yeah, probably so." He knew that it would be the best thing to do, now that her saliva had done it's duty, but he hated having to break the mood. He wanted her so badly, yet at the same time he needed his back healed.

"Come on. I'll drive you home and then I'll sleep in my wolf tonight. My mom is probably wearing a hole in the rug with worry. I should let her know how things went."

They walked to his car he had left there earlier and she waited while he put clothes on. Injured or not, he had a beautiful body, she thought. She snuck peaks at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

In the car, she was beginning to feel back to normal again and her mind filled with the question she had worried about all evening.

"How did it go tonight?"

A smile grew on his face and he said, "Really good, baby."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, there it is! Hope it didn't repulse anyone. :)

I'd love to hear from you. Please review.